We were snorkeling at Peter Island in the BVIs, and this
little heart-shaped plant floated by. Sweet, no?
Thursday, February 14, 2013
A Valentine’s Day Heart for You
Labels:
Caribbean,
Nature,
Underwater
Location:
Peter Island, British Virgin Islands
Friday, February 8, 2013
Creature Feature: Iguanas
Coming to greet us on Allen's Cay, Bahamas |
Lizards in general are ubiquitous throughout the Caribbean,
and iguanas are among the largest here. They look like little dinosaurs (and I
think they’ve been used as dinosaur stand-ins in some older movies), and can
grow to more than five feet in length, including tail. In the Bahamas, guides
bring tourists out to Allans Cay, where they feed the endemic Allans Cay iguanas. Needless to
say, this spoils the little suckers, and when you land your dinghy on the
beach, the iguanas come rushing down to see what you’ve brought them (we
brought them nothing, as we try not to feed wild animals). So, if you have a reptile
phobia, or just don’t like being rushed by spiky lizards, don’t visit Allans
Cay. On many islands, iguanas just wander about, and pretty much ignore you as
you’re trying to take their picture. The shyest we’ve encountered were on
Hassel Island just off of St. Thomas, USVI. As we were walking the trails, we’d
round a corner, and hear this crashing in the scrub as iguanas, some quite
large, took off at top speed. In Grand Cayman, they have blue iguanas, and are
so proud of them, that they have artist-painted iguana statues all around the
island. Here are pictures of a few of the iguanas we’ve seen.
Face off! They were hissing at and sparring with one another. |
Blue iguana at botanical gardens in Grand Cayman |
Colorful iguana statue at Rum Point, Grand Cayman |
Labels:
Creature Feature,
Nature
Location:
Caribbean
Monday, February 4, 2013
Yacht Spotting: Andrea Cay
This 120-foot luxury yacht has anchored near us a couple of times now at Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas. Not as large as some of the behemoths that go through here, she’s still got nearly three times the amount of living space we had in our house in St. Pete. Four crew take care of ten guests in air-conditioned comfort and American red cherry woodwork. More details can be found here.
Labels:
Caribbean,
Yacht spotting
Location:
Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, USVI
Friday, February 1, 2013
Creature Feature: Smooth Trunkfish
A kiss for you! Aren’t those perfect fish lips? We’re always
happy to see a smooth trunkfish swimming around when we snorkel on coral reefs, though we have not, actually,
been tempted to kiss one. Their coloration is beautiful, but these little guys
are just so odd looking. First, as you can see, they’re shaped like triangles,
narrow at the head and broad below. Second, they swim by fluttering fins that seem
too short for the job. And then, of course, there’re those big pucker lips. But…they
have a use! Trunkfish blow jets of water through their lips at the sand to
uncover buried invertebrates, which they then eat. They can grow to nearly
twenty inches long, but usually are about half that. If you want to see
something really adorable, check out this picture of a juvenile trunkfish. Too
cute!
Labels:
Caribbean,
Creature Feature,
Nature,
Underwater
Location:
Caribbean Sea
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